Dr Amos Dangut, the Head of the Nigeria National Office of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), has requested an exemption from the ongoing nationwide strike initiated by organised labour.
According to Dangut in an interview with PUNCH, this exemption would allow the council to conduct the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) without disruptions.
He acknowledged the hardships faced by Nigerian workers but stressed that preventing candidates from completing the WASSCE would place them at a global disadvantage.
He said, “You and I are facing a difficult situation. We appreciate the suffering everyone is going through. The state of the country is known to all; it is indeed pathetic. At WAEC, we are not isolated from these challenges.
“Today, we talk about globalisation. If our children do not write the exams to fit into a global scenario, they will be at a major disadvantage. Our cause is just—workers are asking for improvements in their conditions.
“Unfortunately, the world will not understand the problems we are facing if we don’t allow our children to write their exams. If our children miss their exams while others in different parts of the country do not, will anyone give them admission because there was a strike?” he said.
Dangut appealed to all stakeholders to provide an environment conducive to conducting the WASSCE successfully, stressing the need to prioritise the students’ opportunity to take their exams amid the ongoing strike.
“We have a mandate to conduct exams and we are prepared, but we need an enabling environment,” he stated.
The ongoing WASSCE, which began on April 30, is scheduled to end on June 24, 2024.
The nationwide strike, which started on June 3, 2024, is in response to the Federal Government’s refusal to raise the proposed minimum wage from N60,000.
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